Weather & Earth Science News

More landslide fears after Nepal quakes - the death toll has now exceeded 5,000 Unrelated to the earthquake, Afghan landslide buries remote village, killing 52 And another deadly landslide hits Salvador in north-east Brazil When a day's rain causes panic in Srinagar Court orders UK to cut pollution - though of course it is often pollution drifting over from Europe that has the most noticeable effects Salty aquifer, previously unknown microbial habitat discovered under Antartica Partially logged rainforests could be emitting more carbon than previously thought A good piece on why do global temperatures differ? Rightly pointing out that it is the similarities, not the differences, between the different datasets that matter. And thanks to the recent colder weather, Glencoe Mountain ski resort 'has best powder snow on planet' at the moment.  If you like that sort of thing (it's a nightmare to walk in!)

Nepal earthquake moves Kathmandu but Everest height unchanged - experts say, whilst Nepal's PM says earthquake death toll could reach 10,000 Nepal earthquake pictures: Everest Base Camp after avalanche Wind blows train cars off bridge near New Orleans Melting snow causes spring floods across Altai Traffic chaos as tropical storm hits Bangkok's inner zone Three in every four hot days linked to climate change according to a new study And hundreds of millions of acres of world's forest could be lost by 2030, say WWF - and probably will be even though most of it is totally unnecessary other than for very short term financial gain.   And interestingly, eastern Australia is one of the main deforestation hotspots - and they certainly can't blame poverty or subsistance farming!

Nepal earthquake: fears grow for uncontacted villages as more than 3,600 confirmed dead - there are fears the final toll could reach 10,000. There's a desperate rescue mission to save dozens stranded on Everest as terrifying video emerges of the moment giant valanche engulfed climbers - at least 18 people died but it could have been far more given the sheer number of people on the mountain, which more resembles Snowdon than a remote Himalayan peak these days. Pictures show centuries of history turned to rubble in minutes: how Nepal earthquake destroyed many of the country's iconic landmarks There are at least 20 dead, 58 injured in Tibet following Nepal earthquake And Nepal quake 'followed historic pattern' - more could follow. Snow and freezing temperatures return to Scotland - but it's warm and sunny down here in Evesham, still! 2 dead after storm strikes Alabama sailing regatta Massive tornado cloud caught on camera in Texas as the ...

Just as they clear up after the "cyclone" earlier this week, Sydney smashed by fierce hailstorm and flash flooding with two factory roofs collapsing under the weight of the hail Strong earthquake rocks Nepal, damages Kathmandu - likely to be many death once reports come in, especially from mountain villages.  And avalanche was also reported on Everest. Now 55 dead, over 80 injured in Bihar storm-hit Bihar Storm leaves trail of damage across north Texas Chile volcano Calbuco causes flight problems And scientists see deeper Yellowstone magma

Spectacular volcanic eruption in Chile cakes towns 18 miles away in eerie dust and produces some incredible photographs As the clean-up continues in NSW, Sydney weather: facts and figures about the storm - and it is possible that NSW storms are a sign of things to come, climate scientist warns Winter makes an annoying comeback with late April snow in many US states - and here in Britain we will see some over the higher hills, and perhaps even to low ground in the far north, over the next few days.  Though that is as unusual as a Scotsman eating a haggis. Rare Hawaii tornado touches down in Kapolei 'Severe' 6.2 earthquake hits near South Island's Arnaud A new insight on ground shaking from human-made earthquakes - fracking may not be the main cause. Thawing permafrost feeds climate change High mountains warming faster than expected A study shows that hiatus in global average temperatures has little effect on projected temperatures in 2100 - in s...

NSW wild weather: Fears for pair caught in Maitland floods, 100kph winds and heavy rain bring more misery to Sydney and Hunter with Sydney residents urged to leave their homes 'immediately' as pictures emerge of devastation from the worst storm in a century .   Meanwhile, waves break records as erosion sees Narrabeen retreat 25 metres during storm and monster waves and wild winds leaves beach covered in grotesque jelly-like foam . 32 dead, over 80 injured in Bihar storm Tornado stikes Brazil, killing at least two people and leaving more than 1,000 homeless Is fracking causing earthquakes in Texas?   Very likely it seems. Watch Rosetta's comet 'BURP': Geyser is seen suddenly erupting from the surface of in an amazing 'chance discovery' Interactive map reveals spread of opinion on climate change across the US - looks like the "red-necks" have yet to be convinced! And some slightly good news: global warming more moderate...

NSW wild weather: Energency flood alerts sent to Hunter residents as 'cyclonic' conditions worsen   with three dead, four houses washed away in Dungog and traffic hell: wild weather commuter chaos as traffic, public transport stall .  Freak April blizzard takes Moscow by surprise   and also in Russia, building roof blown away by single gust of wind caught on dashcam

World has just had hottest March since 1880 (when records began, before anyone asks why it was hotter back then!) - and with it also the warmest first quarter on record, there is every chance 2015 could prove the warmest year on record.  Full NOAA report here . Hundreds evacuated after California wildfire quickly spreads In New Brunswick, Perth-Andover under evacuation order due to flooding risk following ice jams Smoke from Siberian fires causes drmatic sunsets in North America Video footage as a slow moving landslide swallows Russian road '3D Cryrosat' tracks Arctic winter sea ice And a warning over aerosol climate fix

Chinese capital hit by worst sand storm in decade Epic storm turns day into night in Belarussian city Spring arrives one month ahead of schedule in Finland Police rescue trapped Jersualemites, as city hit by rain and floods Siberian fire rages on as death toll from tow blazes reaches 33 Climate change blamed as shifting flood plains plague Mozambique Arctic sea ice gains can be seen on new government map of Canada - but it doesn't mean there is really more sea ice, it's all down to how the representation was calculated. And earthworms rain down from skies over Norway, puzzelling scientists

New wildfires in Siberia - and parts of China too - with a frantic battle to stop wildfires engulfing suburbs of Chita city Dust storm slams Salt Lake City; One dead, several injured along I-80 And here, with no winter to speak of, summer has crept up on us unawares as Britain chills in the spring heatwave (and Paul Knightley gets a feature) whilst I predict we could be set for a notable warm and sunny year (but watch out for early snow in the autumn!).   And whilst the north has missed the high temperatures and sunshine so far, they are in for a cracking weekend.

In NZ, wintry blast dumps snow on North Island ski fields whilst the same wintry blast hits Christchurch with first April snow since 1992   Floods return to the Levant region over the weekend There are now 23 dead, more than 900 injured in Siberian grassland fire It's suggested that warmer seas 'will change British diet' - assuming you eat fresh, locally caught fish ....  Not that it's a bad thing anyway! Volcanoes are (still) not the cause of global warming (some UKIP candidates might care to read that - Pinatubo, the biggest volcanic eruption in recent times, produced just 8.5% of the CO2 emitted by cars in the USA each year) Mars might have salty liquid water Trapped water on Saturn can trigger violent superstorms that snake 35,000 miles around the planet whilst violent methane storms on Titan may solve dune direction mystery And it looks like it's a bit hot and windy on HD 189733b! Exoplanet has temperature of 5,400°F with ...

Death toll rises to 15 in Khakassia fires as republic mourns Rare hail storm hits Tel Aviv We can expect more warm weather this week - but what's in store for Summer?   No-one knows.  And especially not the media idiots spouting the usual misleading codswallop .  But why let facts get in the way of a sensational lie? And also making rather a fool of himself, UKIP Wales leader Nathan Gill: Climate change not man made - asserting that " A volcano eruption will produce more CO2 than man has ever been able to produce in the short time since the industrial revolution ".  Which is a bit like claiming the Earth is flat and flies through space atop four elephants and a turtle ...,.  The truth is that annual anthropogenic emissions are at least 80 times greater than that emitted by every volcano on the planet - and probably a great deal more.

Thursday's Illinois tornado that killed 2, destroyed town, packed EF4 punch California shatters temperature records again - so far, it's the warmest year on record there High pollution hits southern England Whilst todays cooler weather and rain (with snow in the Highlands) will benefit firefighters tackling wildfires across the Highlands And the world lit is: stunning European night sky as seen from ISS

One dead and at least eight injured as 'powerful and dangerous' tornadoes sweep through Midwest US storm forecasters predict below-average Atlantic hurricane season Massive ice chunks cause Great Lakes traffic jam 'Warm blob' in Pacific Ocean linked to weird weather across the US Sydney weather: city experiences four seasons in a week Increase in frequency and intensity of heatwaves in Malta projected Unexpected spring snowfall paralyses life in western Turkey Can life exist in rogue planets with no Sun?     And it seems that nine worlds in our solar system could have underground oceans - and maybe life too . Greatest mass extinction driven by acidic oceans, study finds And from George Monbiot and John Mason, a Daily Express weather warning: beware a shower of extreme inaccuracy .   They must have been reading this newsblog .... !

Taiwan begins water rationing to combat effects of worst drought in a decade Late snow hits cherry blossoms around Tokyo Wet April weather brings snow falls around Canberra whilst 'unusual' autumn snowfall in NSW signals abrupt start to winter One missing and one dead after heavy snowfall in Mongolia And radar measurements show that Mars has belts of glaciers consisting of frozen water

Northern Maine breaks April records with below-zero temperatures Bangladesh storm kills 41, injures hundreds , whilst there have been 30 farmers dead in 4 days as rain, hail hit northern India and a 2-day Gulf dust storm makes Mumbai India's most polluted city I'll admit Easter was warmer and sunnier than I expected, though still not quite Piers Corbyn's "hottest ever" and there were nudists and cloud inversions to be seen whilst we bask in Easter heatwave as temperatures hit 21c in the East Highlands, and 19.5c in Pershore Western Canada to lose 70 percent of glaciers by 2100 And a warning (to anyone in the US) don't fall for weather hoaxes and hype as we head into tornado season

24,000 evacuated in Philippines as Typhoon Maysak approaches - but the storm is weakening all the time Storms bring floods and tornadoes to Missouri, Kentucky Whilst it remained cold in NE USA, many western cities has hottest March on record Hurricane rain slows storms up to 30% Map shows entire year of lightning strikes on Earth - with central Africa clearly the place to be, and Evesham just slightly better than the Arctic ... Scientists witness spectacular floods into the Red Sea An interesting story, but a misleading headline: weather reports could soon be read by robots - in fact, the research is into weather reports being written by computer:  at present they generate many of the internet algorithmic forcasts showing symbols and figures, but the written forecasts themselves are produced by humans (and therefore, in my opinion, the only ones worth looking at).   An actual written forecast produced by a computer would not be an improveme...

California Govenor orders first ever water restrictions as the drought worsens Typhoon Maysak: Space Station captures spectacular images over the Pacific Major dust storm hits Middle East Cameroon fishing industry and tourism battered by extreme weather Mediterranean Sea 'sccumulating zone of plastic debris' Northern fires cause almost a quarter of global forest loss, study shows whilst globally, deforestation is messing with our weather and our food - as I have always said, it should be the first (and is the easiest) human contribution to climate change for us to tackle. And finally, yet another case of tabloid media spreading lies as Fiona Simpson - supposedly a reporter, but obviously not one interested in reporting facts - claims in ' New Shopper ' that " Originally the Met Office forecast a heatwave and then put us on tornado alert ".   The Met Office did neither ....  The heatwave forecast came from Piers Corbyn, via Nat...

At least nine dead as fatal storms hit Germany and Austria whilst in the Czech Republic heavy snowfall causes traffic problems Super Typhoon Maysak strikes central Pacific islands killing at least five Deadly weather spreads across northern India A better method for forecasting hurricane season has been developed And finally, just for today, is this the explanation for the Siberian craters?  Parts of a 'spaceship' found in myserious new crater in northern Siberia .....!!!